The Delish Guide To ... Las Vegas

A trip to Las Vegas is always the perfect getaway — a solution for leaving your problems behind, assuming you don’t wake up married to a stranger, Cameron Diaz-rom-com-style. It’s the sort of place where you can go without an itinerary and have a guaranteed good time, just wandering down the strip.

We’re all for spontaneity, but when it comes to what you eat, you’ve got to have a game plan. There’s nothing worse than wasted calories at a sad buffet of soggy steamed vegetables and rubber chicken. Or worse, being paralyzed by your options and going hangry. Nobody wants that. Here’s your game plan.

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Bouchon; The Strip

Kathryn Wirsing

We get it: You want to hit the slots and go HAM, but you’ve got to ease into Vegas. Bouchon’s relaxed environment and attentive staff will get you into vacay mode, fast. Go for the eggs benedict, with a creamy Hollandaise that won’t weigh you down, or a cheesy-gooey ham and cheese crepe. If you feel like going all out, grab a pain au chocolat too. It’s what Bouchon’s known for, and it doesn’t disappoint.

By lunch time, the time for moderation has ended. Stroll down the cobblestone streets of faux-Paree, spring for the $12.99 unlimited beer and wine, and order a custom crepe. And some Burgundy-style rotisserie chicken with truffle mac and cheese. Oh, and a macaron. For the road.

After a buffet lunch, dinner is less of a meal, more of an excuse to take a break from the card tables and grab a drink. Pregame before the Backstreet Boys show upstairs (you know you’re going) at Café Hollywood, a retro-inspired diner chock full of celebrity memorabilia. It’s open 24 hours, serving breakfast all day, but honestly, if you only order one thing, make it the Lasagna Tubes — deep-fried slabs of Bolognese-and-ricotta-filled lasagna, served with a marinara and béchamel dipping sauce.

If there’s ever a time to be extra, Vegas is it, which means you need to hit up Lavo’s Saturday party brunch. It’s like going to the club — DJ and all — without sacrificing your chocolate chip pancakes. The breakfast mac & cheese is loaded with pancetta and topped with fried eggs, and for $30, you can sip bottomless rosé sangria. For the truly adventurous (and newly wealthy), ball out with the Giant Bloody Mary. It serves 10 easily and is topped with a whole lobster and jumbo shrimp.

You’ve watched the show — or at least the YouTube clips of Gordon Ramsay losing his sh*t — for years; now it’s time to dine in Hell. Ramsay’s new restaurant is themed just like the show, with red and blue kitchens preparing different parts of your meal. (There’s even a life-size digital version of the chef to heckle you as you walk in. Home sweet home!) Don’t look at the menu without ordering the beef wellington — it’s GR’s specialty, after all — and the Smoke On The Blvd, a rye-based drink that comes to you smoking, literally, in a glass box.

It doesn’t matter how late you’re out: The Golden Tiki’s doors are always open to you. This 24-hour joint revels in kitsch, with leopard print chairs, tables topped with risqué photos from vintage porno mags, and faux-stone fountains. The drinks are as transporting as the place, with Mai Tais, Painkillers, and Zombies on the menu, but the must-try is the Dole Whip float: creamy pineapple soft serve topping a hearty pour of rum.

Where To Find It: 3939 Spring Mountain Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102

Taco Bell Cantina; The Strip

Kathryn Wirsing

Inevitably, drinking leads to a sudden craving for fast food, and while you’re at it, you might as well hit up T-Bell’s flagship, a mecca to Crunchwraps and Nacho Fries. It’s open 24 hours and features spiked slushies, so you can keep the party going. And going. And going.

After a wild couple of nights, you need something hearty to pad your stomach. The Cake Boss’s gotchu. Buddy V's buffet brunch menu is has all of the classics, like eggs, frittatas, bacon, and sausage, as well as some decadent Italian favorites, like cheesy garlic bread, zeppoles, and grandma’s meatballs. Just don’t leave without trying the ultra-cheesy mac n’ cheese carbonara.

You don’t always have time for a sit-down meal. When you want to snack on the go, grab a sushi burrito or, better yet, sushi cupcakes from Jaburritos. The cupcakes are sold in four packs, so you can try a variety of flavors in one sitting. They’re served in fried wonton cups, loaded with sushi rice and toppings like salmon, spicy tuna, crab, guacamole, sriracha, and eel sauce. Wash it down with a fruity-but-not-too-sweet sake sangria.

Where To Find It: 3535 S Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89109

Guy's Las Vegas Kitchen & Bar; The Strip

Guy Fieri Kitchen & Bar

There’s no better way to cap off your last night in Vegas than with a meal so over-the-top you start to black out halfway through. Start with the Trash Can Brisket Nachos — dumped out of a wastebasket, smothered in cheese sauce and loaded with burnt ends – and grab some Fireball Whisky-infused buffalo wings.

Before you leave, dare everyone at the table to take down the Cheesecake Challenge: half a marble cheesecake studded with potato chips and pretzels, all drizzled with hot fudge. It’ll be the best food coma of your life.

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